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Man Charged In Connection With Shooting Of Livery Cab Passenger

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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – Charges have been filed against a man who allegedly shot a livery cab passenger in the head.

Michael Magnan, 19, was trying to hold up a livery cab in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn when he shot a passenger in the head, according to police.

The driver told CBS 2’s Amy Dardashtian that he tried to fight off the suspect and that shots were fired as he was driving away.

“I turned around and I gave him a right hook in the face and I hit the gas, I ducked my head down and pop, pop, pop, he shot the windows out,” explained Eric Martine.

Those shots critically wounded Nikita Grebelsky, who was riding in the cab with his sister. Grebelsky was rushed to Kings County Hospital where he was declared brain-dead.

Police believe that the shooting and attempted robbery were part of a string of violent crimes that Magnan may have committed on Saturday morning. He was also involved in a pair of altercations at area nightclubs, and allegedly shot a group of people standing outside of a house party on East 54th Street, according to authorities.

Martine had harsh words for Magnan.

“He’s a demon, he’s a psychopath, you can’t blame it on drugs,” he said.

Magnan has been charged with Attempted Murder, Assault, Attempted Robbery, Criminal Possession of a Weapon, and Criminal Mischief.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)